November 15, 2002	Friday	Ramazan 9, 1423

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KOLKATA, Nov 14: An Indian Mig-21 jet crashed in West Bengal on Thursday, killing the two pilots who were on board, a senior police official said.

The official said the Russian-made Mig-21 crashed while on a “routine training mission” in Phasidoa, about 600 kilometres north of Kolkata.

In New Delhi, an Indian air force spokesman confirmed said “the aircraft was a trainer version of the Mig-21. We lost two pilots in the crash.”

The Indian air force has been plagued by crashes in the recent past.

Last week a Jaguar fighter jet crashed into a residential area of the northern town of Ambala, killing about 12 people.

According to official figures, at least 221 Mig-21s, worth tens of millions of dollars, were lost in crashes between 1991 and 2000, killing around 100 pilots.

Later, a meeting decided to phase out the fleet of Russian-made Mig-21 fighter jets.—AFP